Social Media for Business: The Small Business Online Marketing Guide

Martin Brossman trains micro business owners (1 – 3 people) and what we call “small” business owners, which we should probably call “very small” small business owners (4 – 20 people, we hesitate to call them employees, because they may be contractors or interns) in how to succeed in business. Since 2007, a growing part of that involves social media and Internet marketing.

Anora McGaha has started several of her own micro businesses, and has helped dozens of micro businesses and very small small businesses (taking her own advice), since she was laid off from a large corporation in 2006, the year before there started to be significant signs of economic trouble, and two years before the huge trouble.

Martin Brossman and Anora McGaha knew first hand that many many people now starting their own businesses were completely-to-moderately uninformed about the impact that social media could have on their business prospects. After working together for three years at the time, Martin brought the book idea to Anora and asked if she would take part in it. They had been managing social media programs for clients for two years together. Martin already had chapters from over a dozen contributors, and Anora proceeded to get a half dozen more. They wrote the content that they hadn't yet gathered, and in July 2011, Outer Banks Publishing Group published the book, with a standing room only launch in August. The ebook came out later in August.

Who should get Social Media for Business?

If you're an advanced user of social media and fully aware of the Internet ecosystem, it's not for you. Though it's always fascinating to see the unique blend of perspective and insights that each author or speaker develops, this book is meant for the micro business owner and very small business owner who is not yet fully comfortable – doesn't yet have his or her “sea legs” so to speak on the vast ocean that is the Internet.

The book has three sections:

Perspectives;

The Building Blocks (Social Media and the Internet); and

Online Marketing with Social Media (How to develop and manage a social media program to build your online presence).

Whatever business you're in, if you're just starting out in business, or if you're just starting to explore how to grow your customer base and increase your sales online, and haven't studied social media in depth – this book is for you.

It won't show you how to set up accounts, edit photos or create lists, but it will tell you how to think about social media and the Internet ocean to know where to sail and what to try to accomplish.

Social Media for Business is Still Current

Although published in 2011, because the book is not a “how-to” book, it doesn't run into the problem of Facebook's new privacy settings and options; or Twitter's new home page; or another site's new layout. The authors have also added video content in a private section of the site to supplement the book for topics such as Pinterest and Google + that took flight since the publishing of the book. (You will also see some public posts Pinterest and Google+ on this site now.)

Where to Get Social Media for Business

Social Media for Business is available:

In stores at: The Joyful Jewel in Pittsboro, North Carolina and New Horizons Coffee Shop in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Martin Brossman and Anora McGaha are available individually and as a team to do advising, social media plans, social media management, talks and training, in person, via webinar, Skype or Google Hangout through Martin Brossman & Associates.